


with my childhood's faith

by bickz



Series: OC Kiss Week '19 [4]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Branwen Peredur, Ceridwen Peredur, Drow, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Eskimo Kisses, Fluff and Angst, Gen, OCKissWeek, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Sibling Love, Twins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-11-07 14:29:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17962337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bickz/pseuds/bickz
Summary: Ceridwen hasn't been the same since they were exiled from the Underdark, but Branwen aims to remedy that, no matter how long it takes.





	with my childhood's faith

**Author's Note:**

> i just want these two to be happy, but at the same time, all i do is make them suffer. lmfao whoops

The Surface is...strange, to say the least. The sun is oppressive, in its heat and light. Everything is so much louder and at a higher octave -- super fucking annoying. Colours are brighter, more saturated, blinding even. Branwen wouldn't say that she  _ hates _ it up here, just needs some time to get fully adjusted (as if a whole year isn't enough).

Ceridwen, on the other hand, doesn't seem to find joy in anything. Not anymore, not since that fateful day that they fled the Underdark. He sulks in the corner of the shabby hut they've made into their home, hides under layers of blankets, doesn't eat or sleep or bathe, just...wallows. And every time Branwen tries to pull open the curtains or drag her brother outside for a walk, he groans, hisses, cries, tenses up and darts back under the covers.

At first, it frustrated Branwen. She felt like she had lost her twin, her sweet, kind, lovable little brother, like she was alone in this world now, abandoned by him -- just as they were abandoned by their family. But, after some time, she realised that Ceridwen is still here with her, maybe not in his entirety, not yet, but with some work, they could be just like old times.

So, Branwen told herself that she had to be strong for both of them, to take care of them until Ceridwen was back to his former glory. For this past year, she's kept them safe and fed, has built them a small fortune, all for the sake of her twin. However, none of that is what Ceridwen truly requires. He needs a gentle soul to heal him, someone to empathise with, and Branwen is not too sure that she's up to that job.

Branwen sits at the kitchen table, flaying and skinning her most recent catch. She glances over to the lump on the bed, Ceridwen nestled under the covers, and sighs wistfully before returning to work. This is just how their days go, Branwen toiling away and keeping her restless self busy while Ceridwen hides, buries himself deeper and deeper into his depression.

When Branwen finishes, she crosses the room and sits at the foot of the bed. She watches Ceridwen curl in on himself, smaller, as if wishing to not exist. With a tentative hand, Branwen reaches out, lightly touches where she thinks Ceridwen's head is under the covers. She can feel him startled under the blankets and begin to tense up.

“ _ Korit'al, _ ” Branwen whispers. “Ceri, will you look at me?”

A few beats of loaded silence passes between them, Branwen's hopes quickly dwindling. She doesn't know why she bothers to try anymore. No matter how gentle or patient she pushes herself to be, it never works. Branwen is about to get up and return to preparing dinner when she feels movement on the bed. She looks up, eyes wide, heart racing.

Ceridwen slowly pushes the covers back until just his head of messy hair is visible and a pair of milky white eyes stare back. He looks ragged, exhausted, his eyelids are puffy and his lashes are wet. Branwen hates seeing him like this, so unkempt and pathetic. He was always so well-dressed, religiously worked to make himself as beautiful as possible, his skin so smooth and clear, his hair so silky soft.

“What is it?” Ceridwen rasps. His lovely voice is all but gone, his trademark lilt weathered by disuse. 

Branwen swallows hard and tries to act normal, to not give him a pitying look and scare him back into his cave. “U-uh, it's nothing. I just...I wanted to see your pretty face,” Branwen supplies, giving a cheeky grin.  _ Act casual, act casual. _

There's a small noise from under the blankets, something akin to a snort, and it has Branwen's heart soaring with joy. “Let me see you?” she asks boldly.

Another moment of doubt passes where Ceridwen avoids eye contact, and the blankets begin to slowly rise over his head once more. And then, Ceridwen is heaving a sigh as he adjusts himself, and the covers fall back when he leans forward, propping himself up on his arms. He shakes a bit, his muscles having atrophied from his minimal activity and poor diet. Branwen's chest aches.

“Ah, you didn't-- Ceri, don't push yourself,” Branwen pleads, grin abruptly replaced by a concerned frown. She shifts herself closer, outstretching her arms to place on her brother's biceps to support him. “Are...are you okay?”

Ceridwen gives an affirmative nod, still avoiding eye contact. If this is making Branwen's heart break, she can only imagine how it injures her twin's pride. He used to be a force to be reckoned with when he wielded his rapier. Not many could boast about having easily beat Ceridwen, not even his own sister. And now, he's just skin and bones, barely able to sit up on his own. 

When Ceridwen finally looks up, Branwen is able to see just how gaunt he is, how hollow his once chiseled cheeks are, the sunken look of his eyes. She fights the urge to look away, wanting to save him the shame she knows he's feeling. They lock eyes for a beat, and Branwen notices something in those depths, something fierce and tenacious and stubborn, fighting to be  _ alive _ . She allows a small, gentle smile to creep over her features.

“Ceri, I'm--” Branwen's voice cracks, and she has to swallow back her emotions before continuing, “I'm so glad to be here with you.”

Ceridwen looks puzzled for a moment, not understanding the sentiment, but Branwen doesn't care to explain. She leans closer, slowly at first, not wanting to startle her brother, and when he doesn't pull away, she swiftly closes the distance between them. With a light tug on Ceridwen's arms, he easily succumbs and falls against Branwen's chest. She smiles big and has to remind herself not to squeeze too tightly as she wraps her arms around him.

“Bran, what are you--”

“ _ Shhhh _ ,” Branwen hushes her brother, a playful note to her tone.

It's not long before Ceridwen raises his own arms to wrap around Branwen's waist, weakly hugging her back. She could cry she's so happy, but no, she has to be strong, for both of them, so no crying, not right here. Later today, when she's out in the woods, alone in the solitude of darkness, that's when she'll let herself break down.

Branwen leans back a bit, letting Ceridwen sit up properly. She watches him closely, carefully, reveling in the fact that he doesn't seem that ill, at least not physically. And really, it would only take a few months of diligent work to build back his muscles. Branwen grins at the thought of them going out together, prowling the city's alleys and the dark  country highways. 

Slowly, Branwen brings her hands up to cup Ceridwen's face. He tenses at first, clearly still not used to human contact, and that hurts the most. She pushes past the angry bile that rises in her throat and instead focuses on her dear twin, on the way he looks up at her with complete and utter trust. This is her brother, the one she came out of the womb with, the one she's protected and loved all of these year, the one she would destroy the world for. She closes her eyes and presses their foreheads together, before tilting her head in order to rub her nose across Ceridwen's in a soft, loving gesture from their childhood.

“I love you, Ceri,” Branwen whispers. She swallows back more tears, but it's obvious in her shaky smile how hard it is for her to keep it together.

Ceridwen turns his head to press his nose against his twin's in response. “I love you, too.”


End file.
